NC Media Watch

George Will vs John Kerry in the global warming ring

 Russ Steele

In this corner we find George Will, Op-Ed Columnist for The Washington Post. Priors to weight in Will challenged the premise of global warming and what we should do about it. But this was the paragraph that set off the hotheaded ice alamists:

As global levels of sea ice declined last year, many experts said this was evidence of man-made global warming. Since September, however, the increase in sea ice has been the fastest change, either up or down, since 1979, when satellite record-keeping began. According to the University of Illinois’ Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979.

In this corner we have John Kerry, Mass. Senator and failed Presidential Candidate, contributor to global warming causes writing at the Huffington Post:Facts Are Stubborn Things: George Will and Climate Change-

This has to stop. A highly organized, well-funded movement to deny the reality of global climate change has been up and running for a long time, but it doesn’t change the verdict: the problem is real, it’s accelerating, and we have to act. Now. Not years from now.

Kerry concludes his Huffington Post with this challenge to George Will:

"I’d happily debate him any day on this question so critical to our survival."

I am looking for to this debate, and willing to bet a few beers that Will fasts are more accurate than Kerry's facts. You can find more on the coming debate at Watts Up With That and ICECAP is also following the action, where you will find George Will's first round rebuttal in the debate.

One or more Cap-and-Trade programs in our future?

Russ Steele

President Obama has a $79 Billion a Cap-and-Trade program in his budget plans.  Obama’s budget plan assumes $78.7 billion in revenue in 2012 from the sale of greenhouse-gas emission permits to polluters.
A “cap-and-trade” program would generate a total of $645.7 billion by 2019, according to the budget blueprint Obama sent to Congress.

California's Governor and the Legislature also have a Cap-and-Trade program in works under AB32,  the The Global Warming Solutions Act. This Cap-and-Trade program is expected to produce revenue for the State coffers, helping reduce our growing deficit.

My questions is will we have both programs?  One State and one Federal?  Or, just the Federal program? The federal program would have our tax dollars flowing in to Federal coffers. The AB32 program would have our tax dollars flowing into California coffers. Both programs will make energy more costly as they attempt to reduce greenhouse gases. Never mind the scientist tell us the effect would be almost unmeasurable. A very poor cost to benefit ratio.  

If we have both programs,  the cost of transportation is going to go up big time. That will not be good for the tourist economy on California or any where in the nation for that matter. It will be like having $5.00 and $6.00 dollar fuel all the time. The $4.00 a gallon fuel costs reduced tourism in Nevada County last years, what will $5.00 and $6.00 a gallon fuel do for the next twenty years?

Can we afford two Cap-and-Trade programs?  Can we afford one, given the lack of benefits to the atmosphere. Just asking? Do you have answers?

Some questions on local stimulus funding?

Russ Steele

The weekly County CEO weekly letter reports that Nevada County will be receiving $2.1 million in Federal Stimulus funds.  

Federal Economic Stimulus: The County has received word that almost $2.1 million is on its way for road  improvements.  Nevada County will receive $1.4 million, Truckee - $341,000, Grass Valley – $273,000 and  Nevada City $65,000.  Public Works has indicated that they will expand and accelerate the road overlay  program.

Now, I have some questions. Since this is Federal money,  will the County have to pay prevailing wages? Wages determined by union rates in the Bay Area.  Since these are Federal projects they will have to be competitively bid. If so, how will we keep the money in Nevada County for local contractors and not go to union shops in the Valley, like the Sierra College Phase I project did. The larger valley contractors are better equipped to bid on federal funded road overlay and paving projects.

Just asking:  Will this stimulus really help Nevada County? How?   

Why should they stay and why we should worry?

Russ Steele

The LA Times has the story, California New Science Policy May Force Companies to move away.

California regulators Thursday adopted the world's first mandatory measures to control highly potent greenhouse gases emitted by the computer manufacturing industry.

The new rules would cover 85 plants, mostly in Silicon Valley. They require most computer chip makers to slash releases of sulfur hexafluoride and other fluorinated gases by more than half over the next three years.

The chemicals are used in small amounts but "pose a danger to the planet because they have such a high capacity to trap atmospheric heat," said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the Air Resources Board.

Intel is a California company and they are expanding in Oregon and Arizona, not California. Colorado is actively encouraging California companies to move to the the high desert, where they have fewer business killing regulations.  Nevada County is home to may chip design centers for the affected companies in Silicon Valley.  If they were force to move from California due to the greenhouse gas regulations, they may choose to consolidate their facilities and close out their Nevada County operations.  Colorado has many of the lifestyle amenities that we have in Nevada County.

And, all of this pain is being caused by the One Scientist's Unscientific Dream? according to Marc Sheppard, writing at the American Thinker

There's an understandably growing unease about the likely prospect that the Obama administration will soon choose to regulate CO2 as a pollutant.  But that disquiet would likely turn quickly to rage if more people knew the truth about the scientific conclusions on which this unprecedented incursion on both industry and individual freedom was based.  You see, it appears that those conclusions weren't based on accepted scientific procedure at all, but were instead predetermined -- and perhaps by a single man.

Read the whole story and realize that CARB uses the IPCC reports as justification for controlling greenhouse gases. We are victium of some bad science, and worce politics.

Oh my, the SF Chronicle may fold

Russ Steele

I wonder what the former Editor of the Union, who spent 10 years reporting for the Chronicle, will have to say about this troubling development on his blog.  Ellen and I have been reading the Sunday Chronicle at the Flour Garden every Sunday for years. We used this opportunity to see what California's liberals are up to over the past week, where group think was taking us.  I enjoy Willie Brown's column as his insight is spot on, the funny papers, and the political commentary not necessary in that order. Ellen likes the book section, funnies and front page in-depth California stories. We have noted that every Sunday the paper is getting smaller and smaller. Soon it maybe gone. Oh my!

Consider this from Powerline.

The collapse of the newspaper industry continues apace; now it's the San Francisco Chronicle that is likely to be sold or even closed down in a matter of months. This follows Sunday's bankruptcy filing by the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, just two and a half years after investors paid more than $500 million for the company.

We've known for a while that the newspaper industry is in desperate trouble, but it didn't occur to us until recently that it may be a leading indicator.

The question on my mind it the Sac Bee next?  My friend George Rebane thinks the Bee is burnt toast on the way to the waste bin in the next year. I am voting with George. But, then what will we read read on Sunday mornings with our coffee to track the latest liberal group think?  No Chron and no Bee, I guess we will have to wait for the Fairness Doctrine to kick in -- and listend to Lib Radio?    

Global Warming Disorder

Russ Steele

The latest cartoon from The Chilling Effect.

Carbon crashes

Russ Steele

The price of carbon credits crash and burn in the EU, NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory crashed and burned up three minutes after launch, and Congress's plan for climate change legislation comes crashing down as Obama says not this year, maybe next.

•  In today’s Guardian, Julian Glover reports that carbon permit prices in Europe’s Emission Trading System (ETS) have crashed from €31 last summer to €8 today. This price is too low to create any incentive for covered entities to invest in ‘green’ technology.

•  A team of investigators will look into what caused the payload fairing to fail to separate.
The $273 million satellite, called the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, would have collected "precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere" to help better forecast the changes in carbon dioxide "and the effect that these changes may have on the Earth's climate."

•  Reuters reports the White House signaled on Monday it could wait until 2010 for major climate change legislation to move through the U.S. Congress as long as it fulfilled President Barack Obama's criteria for tackling global warming.       

In the mean time California continues to move toward a cap and trade stealthy carbon tax, and the  California Senate's Transportation Panel considers how to lower greenhouse gas emissions through parking policy. With no place to park, employees and shoppers will have to walk or ride the bus. More social engineering by our legislative leaders. Lets hope this idea crashes and burns too.

Update#1: Watts Up With That has more details on the Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite crash.

Grass Valley high-tech on the Bee Front Page

Russ Steele

The Pelton Wheel is one Nevada County's early products that was exported around the world. It was invented in Camptonville, but perfected in Nevada City.

Dale Kasler writes in the Sacramento Bee:  Grass Valley's high-tech companies feeling recession

For the past 50 years, this scenic slice of the Sierra foothills has been an unlikely high-tech heaven.

A cluster of companies is responsible for some of the most sophisticated television broadcasting equipment found anywhere. TV executives from Europe to Asia recognize the name "Grass Valley" and spend millions on routers, switchers and other components manufactured and engineered here. Other tech companies have sprung up in the region, making everything from medical devices to circuit boards.

But the recession has brought layoffs, cutbacks and ripples of anxiety to the technology companies of Grass Valley and neighboring Nevada City. Some firms are expanding, but what's happening overall is a small-scale version of the slump in Silicon Valley.

You can read the rest of this interesting analysis here.

If our business slump is just a small-scale version of the Silicon Valley business slump, what is Silicon Valley doing to overcome their slump?  Should we be doing the same? The ERC is developing a new economic development plan, should we be rethinking our way forward? Should we pattern our future economic development after Silicon Valley Should we see where Silicon Valley is focusing, and do the same?  A former Editor at the Union with Silicon Valley connections thinks it is.

Is promoting civil disobedience the proper role for a NASA Scientist?

Russ Steele

James Hansen NASA/GISS thinks it proper for him to take action against coal fired power plants and gather in Washington DC to protest against the lack of action by our government to ban coal power plants. Remember that coal provides half the nations power, and we are not building anymore nuclear power plants.  Anthony Watts has the details at Watts Up With That, included a video by Hansen and a link to his web site where he promotes civil disobedience.

If you think this is wrong, Hansen's boss at NASA is Robert Strain at Goddard Space Flight Center: [email protected]   You can also register a complaint with our Senators  and Representative using the links on the left side of this page. Or you can contact the White House here.

Update #1: The above e-mail address does not work, they this one: [email protected]

EPA to declare air you exhale a danger to the public, and according to experts our economy

Russ Steele

The Dow Jones reports US Climate Czar: CO2 Regulation Ruling To Come Soon, as soon as 2 April, according to the story in ICECAP.

Obama’s climate czar said Sunday the Environmental Protection Agency will soon issue a rule on the regulation of carbon dioxide, finding that it represents a danger to the public. Browner, the Climate Czar,  wants a new standard fashioned after the strict proposals developed in California that would limit greenhouse gas emissions. This could shut down many coal-fired power plants, refineries, chemical plants, cement firms, vehicles and any other emitting sectors across the economy, that is you fair reader. 

California economy is in the tank now, this will not help with the recovery. We will be getting all that we ask for and more.  One side benefit will be that the EPA law regulations will apply to all states, which might reduce the exodus of business from California to other states.

Then their is this in the Dow Jones report: